Mooring robot

Abstract

A mechanism suitable to moor and/or connect, engage, fender, or couple a vessel to a terminal such a dock, wharf, pier, pontoon, floating structure, off-shore structure, or another vessel. Typically, mechanism is used in a mooring robot or fender and will comprises a base, the mechanism dependent from the base and supporting an element remote the base. The element may be configured as a fender element or attachment element. The extension mechanism forms part of sarrus mechanism formed of the base, extension mechanism, and attachment element. The sarrus mechanism allows the attachment element to extend linearly transversely from the base in the sway direction. The use of a sarrus mechanism allows for a compact footprint design, that is also very stable in the surge and heave directions.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A mooring robot for releasably fastening a vessel to a dock or to a second vessel, the mooring robot comprising:
 a) a base configured to attach to the dock or the second vessel; 
 b) an attachment element configured to releasably engage with a surface of the vessel; and 
 c) at least two linkages dependent from the base and together supporting the attachment element and configured to retract and extend to allow movement of the attachment element in a transverse direction towards and away from the base respectively, each of the at least two linkages comprising a base arm and an attachment arm pivotably connected together at a revolute intermediate joint, the base arm pivotably connected to the base at a revolute base joint and the attachment arm pivotably connected to the attachment element at a revolute attachment joint, wherein the revolute intermediate joint, the revolute base joint and the revolute attachment joint define rotational axes that are spaced apart and parallel to each other, and wherein the rotational axes of the revolute intermediate joint, the revolute base joint and the revolute attachment joint of a first linkage of the at least two linkages are not parallel to rotational axes of the revolute intermediate joint, the revolute base joint and the revolute attachment joint of at least one second linkage of the at least two linkages. 
 
     
     
       2. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the mooring robot comprises a moving arrangement configured to extend and/or retract the attachment element in the transverse direction. 
     
     
       3. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the mooring robot comprises three, four, five, or six linkages. 
     
     
       4. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the robot comprises two linkages only, which include the first linkage and a second linkage. 
     
     
       5. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein an angle between the rotational axis of the revolute intermediate joint of the first linkage is at 90 degrees to the rotational axis of the revolute intermediate joint of the second linkage, such that the rotational axes are orthogonal to each other. 
     
     
       6. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein only the at least two linkages transfer a weight of the attachment element to the dock or the second vessel. 
     
     
       7. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the moving arrangement is a powered actuating arrangement. 
     
     
       8. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the moving arrangement is engaged between the base and one of the attachment arm or the attachment element. 
     
     
       9. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the attachment element comprises an engagement element configured to engage the surface of the vessel, and wherein the engagement element is a vacuum pad, a vacuum cup or cups, a hook device, a charging connection, or other engagement feature configured to releasably engage with the surface of the vessel. 
     
     
       10. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the base arm and the attachment arm of each of the at least two linkages are a same length as each other. 
     
     
       11. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the moving arrangement is an energy absorbing element. 
     
     
       12. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the base arm and/or the attachment arm of the at least two linkages have an L-shape, such that the base arm and/or the attachment arm generally curves inwardly at the respective revolute intermediate joint. 
     
     
       13. The mooring robot as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one linkage of the at least two linkages is biased to retract the attachment element under gravity.